Bartow police officer arrested after sending video of naked teen girls to fellow officers: Sheriff Grady Judd

BARTOW, Fla. - A police officer with the Bartow Police Department was arrested after Polk County Sheriff's Office detectives discovered that he had an inappropriate relationship with four teenage girls, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

PCSO says 24-year-old Markanthony Fernandez was charged on Tuesday with four felonies and six misdemeanors for events that occurred during the weekend of Feb. 3, 2024.

"It makes me elated to arrest him and put him in jail," Judd said. "This guy is a bad guy."

According to investigators, Fernandez recorded a video of naked teenage girls that were in his home and sent it to fellow officers at Bartow PD. Authorities say officers reported it to their supervisors.

READ: Activists allege police brutality after video shows Lakeland police hitting, tasing 16-year-old

"Our detectives learned that he had a video clip, that he was sharing Snapchat video with people at the police department. And they looked at it and say, ‘Hey, these girls look underage,’" explained Judd.

Since Fernandez's home is in Lake Wales, Bartow PD requested that PCSO investigate.

Deputies say they identified four girls involved in the incident and the investigation revealed that two of the victims were 18 years old, and the other two victims were 17 and 16 years old.

Judd says three of the victims went to Kathleen High School and one went to Auburndale High School. The sheriff’s office believes Fernandez went to a party in Frostproof with the girls, which is still under investigation.

According to the sheriff's office, Fernandez recorded several videos. Investigators say one video showed one of the 18-year-old girls wearing a Bartow PD jacket, while Fernandez directed the 17-year-old to commit a sexual act on the 18-year-old.

According to PCSO, several of the videos show the victims naked with Fernandez inside his house. 

Judd says Fernandez gave all four girls alcoholic beverages, THC vape pens, and THC gummies.

According to detectives, Fernandez is also accused of touching and choking the 16-year-old in a bedroom in his house.

READ: Tampa mother accused of strangling, killing 18-year-old daughter inside home

"He told one of the 18-year-olds and the 17-year-olds that he gets excited sexually from choking people. So he choked the 18-year-old unconscious. Did you hear what I said? He choked the 18-year-old unconscious," said Judd. "She said that she allowed him to choke her, but he also choked the 17-year-old. And she said, ‘I did not allow him to choke me. And he choked me so much that it scared me.'"

The sheriff's office says Fernandez was booked at the Polk County Jail and charged with:

• Promotion of a juvenile in a sexual performance (F2)
• Use of a juvenile in a sexual performance (F2)
• Battery by strangulation (F3)
• Illegal use of a 2-Way communication device (F3)
• Contributing to the delinquency of a minor (M1, 2-counts)
• Provide alcoholic beverages to a person under 21-years of age (M2, 4-counts)

"He was stupid enough to do it. Then, he was really stupid to video it. Then, he was really stupid to show it to his colleagues at work who said, time out, they're professionals. So you play stupid, stupid, stupid games, you win stupid, stupid, stupid prizes," said Judd.

Fernandez worked for the Bartow Police Department from September 2020 until October 2021 and then went to the Polk County Sheriff's Office from October 2021 to December 2022 before returning to BPD, according to Deputy Chief Walker.

"It's very disappointing. You know, we do very in-depth background checks. They go through psychological screening just to try to make sure we're picking the right candidates. But obviously, nothing's perfect and people change," shared Walker.

Officials say Fernandez has been on administrative leave since February and his employment with Bartow PD is pending termination based on his arrest. PCSO says Fernandez has refused to resign.

A judge set Fernandez’s bond during a first appearance Wednesday afternoon. He also ordered Fernandez to be under GPS monitoring.

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